The following standards shall be considered the minimum standards necessary to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare.
(A) Relation to existing streets. The arrangement, character, extent, width, grade, and location of all streets shall be considered in their relation to existing and planned streets, to topographic conditions, to public convenience and safety, and in their appropriate relation to the proposed uses of the land to be served by such streets. The arrangement of streets in a subdivision shall either provide for the continuation of appropriate projection of existing principal streets in surrounding areas or conform to a plat for the neighborhood approved by the governing body to meet a particular situation where topographical or other conditions made continuance or conformance to existing streets impracticable.
(B) Acreage subdivisions.
(1) Where the plat submitted covers only a part of the subdivider’s plat, a sketch of the prospective future system of the unsubmitted part shall be furnished and the street system of the part submitted shall be considered in the light of adjustments in connection with the street system of the part not submitted.
(2) Where the parcel is subdivided into larger tracts than for building lots such parcels shall be divided so as to allow for the opening of major streets and the ultimate extension of adjacent minor streets.
(3) Subdivisions showing unplatted strips or private streets controlling access to public ways will not receive approval.
(C) Local streets.
(1) Local streets shall be so planned as to discourage through traffic.
(2) Cul-de-sac streets are permitted where topography and other conditions justify their use. Such street shall not be longer than 500 feet and shall terminate with a turn-around, having an outside roadway diameter of at least 80 feet and street property line diameter of at least 100 feet. The right-of-way width of the straight portion of such streets shall be a minimum of 60 feet. The property line at the intersection of the turn-around and the straight portion of the street shall be rounded at a radius of not less than 20 feet.
(D) Frontage streets.
(1) Where a subdivision abuts or contains an existing or proposed arterial street, the governing body may require marginal access streets, reverse frontage with screen planting contained in a non-access reservation along the rear property line, deep lots with rear service alleys, or such other treatment as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to afford separation of through and local traffic.
(2) Where a subdivision borders on or contains a railroad right-of-way or limited access highway right-of-way, the governing body may require a street approximately parallel to and on each side of such right-of-way, at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land, as for park purposes in residential districts. Such distances shall also be determined with due regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separations.
(E) Half-streets. Half-streets shall be prohibited except where essential to the reasonable development of the subdivision in conformity with the other requirements of these regulations, and where the governing body finds it will be practicable to require the dedication of the other half when the adjoining property is subdivided. Wherever a half-street is adjacent to a tract to be subdivided, the other half of the street shall be platted within such tract.
(F) Street geometrics.
(1) Street jogs with centerline offsets of less than 125 feet shall be avoided.
(2) A tangent at least 100 feet long shall be introduced between reverse curves on arterial and collector streets.
(3) When connecting street lines deflect from each other at any one point by more than ten degrees, they shall be connected by a curve with a radius adequate to ensure a sight distance of not less than 200 feet for minor and collector streets, and of such greater radii as the governing body shall determine for special cases.
(G) Intersections.
(1) Insofar as is practical, acute angles between streets at their intersection are to be avoided.
(2) Streets shall be laid out so as to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles and no street shall intersect any other street at less than 60 degrees.
(3) Property lines at street intersections shall be rounded with a radius of ten feet, or of a greater radius where the governing body may deem it necessary. The governing body may permit comparable cutoffs or chords in place of rounded corners.
(H) Street names. Streets that are in alignment with others already existing and named shall bear the name of the existing streets. The proposed names of new streets shall not duplicate or sound similar to existing street names. Street names shall be subject to the approval of the governing body.
(I) Street grades.
(1) Street grades, wherever feasible, shall not exceed 5%, with due allowance for reasonable vertical curves.
(2) No street grade shall be less than one-half of 1%.
(J) Alleys.
(1) Alleys shall be provided in commercial and industrial districts, except that the governing body may waive this requirement where other definite and assured provision is made for service access, such as off-street loading, unloading, and parking consistent with and adequate for the uses proposed.
(2) The width of an alley shall be 20 feet.
(3) Alley intersections and sharp changes in alignment shall be avoided, but where necessary, corners shall be cut off sufficiently to permit safe vehicular movements.
(4) Dead-end alleys shall be avoided where possible, but if unavoidable, shall be provided with adequate turn-around facilities at the dead-end, as determined by the governing body.
(K) Blocks. No block may be more than 1,320 feet or less than 500 feet in length between the centerlines of intersecting streets, except where, in the opinion of the governing body, extraordinary conditions unquestionably justify a departure from these limits. In blocks over 700 feet in length, the governing body may require at or near the middle of the block a public way or easement of not less than ten feet in width for use by pedestrians and/or as an easement for public utilities.
(L) Lots.
(1) The lot size, width, depth, shape, and orientation shall be appropriate for the location of the subdivision and for the type of development and use contemplated.
(2) Minimum lot dimensions and sizes.
(a) Residential lots where not served by public sewer shall not be less than 80 feet wide nor less than 10,000 square feet in area.
(b) Depth and width of properties reserved or laid out for commercial and industrial purposes shall be adequate to provide for the off-street service and parking facilities required by the type of use and development contemplated.
(c) Corner lots for residential use shall have an extra ten feet of width to permit appropriate building setback from and orientation to both streets.
(3) The subdividing of the land shall be such as to provide, by means of public street, each lot with satisfactory access to an existing public street.
(4) Double frontage and reverse frontage lots shall be avoided except where essential to provide separation of residential development from traffic arteries or to overcome specific disadvantages of topography and orientation.
(5) A planting screen easement of at least ten feet and across which there shall be no right of access, shall be provided along the line of lots abutting such a traffic artery or other disadvantageous use.
(6) Side lot lines shall be substantially at right angles to straight street lines or radial to curved street lines.
(M) Building lines. Building lines shall be shown on all lots within the platted area. The governing body may require building lines in accordance with the needs of each subdivision.
(N) Easements.
(1) Easement across lots or centered on rear or side lot lines shall be provided for utilities where necessary and shall be at least ten feet wide.
(2) Where a subdivision is traversed by a watercourse, drainage way, channel, or stream, there shall be provided a stormwater easement or drainage right-of-way conforming substantially with the lines of such watercourse, and further width for construction, or both, as will be adequate for the purpose.
(O) Plat markers. Markers shall be placed at all block corners, angle points, points of curves in streets, and all such intermediate points as shall be required by the governing body. The markers shall be of such material, size, and length as may be approved by the governing body.
(Prior Code, § 6-7-11) (Ord. 2022-14, passed 8-23-2022)